Niho ʻOki Workshop with ʻUmi Kai

Saturday, July 16, 2023
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Atherton Hālau

Learn to make a niho ʻoki (utility knife) with ‘Ōlohe ʻUmi Kai. Niho ʻoki are Hawaiian shark tooth knives that were traditionally used for wood carving, hair cutting, stripping bark for kapa, food preparation, and self-defense by makaʻāinana. This workshop is approximately three hours long.

Gordon “Umi” Umialiloalahanauokalakaua King Kai is a renowned maker of Hawaiian implements and weapons. He is also a ʻōlohe lua, a Hawaiian martial arts master, with the lua school Pā Kuʻi A Lua. Through this school, he has taught many Native Hawaiians the skills and values necessary to be skilled warriors and craftspeople of customary implements.

This Living Culture workshop is part of the Ola Ka No‘eau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry public programming. The exhibition, on view in the J. M. Long Gallery, explores genealogies of Hawaiian artistry and spotlights thirteen cultural stewards across six disciplines represented by a senior and junior practitioner pairing, each having devoted their lives to the preservation and vitality of their respective art forms. ‘Ōlohe ʻUmi Kai is a featured artist in the exhibition alongside his haumana Kunāne Wooton, who learned how to make weapons, implements, and carved figures from him through Pā Kuʻi A Lua. The Ola Ka No‘eau public programs honor these knowledge bearers who maintain and perpetuate the cherished insights and processes of our kūpuna.

Registration fee: $50
*Included in the registration fee is a material kit provided by the Museum
*Please note that capacity is limited.
*No prior experience is necessary.